Huaca Pucllana: The ancient pyramids of Lima July 31, 2010
Posted by Tracy in : Peru, Uncategorized , 1 comment so far
Who knew that Lima’s fashionable Miraflores district was the site of an ancient ruin? Most Limeños, in fact, didn’t even know until relatively recently.
This was the version presented by Alejandro Olivo, our guide, whose grandfather farmed these lands and who used to play soccer here when he was a boy. As far as he knew, these were just hills, and what was once a city off 44 temples was leveled by the wealthy Marsano family in the 1980s to make way for what is now Miraflores. The government finally intervened to seize the land and opened a park and a small visitor’s center here in 1991, and subsequent archaeological investigations revealed a fascinating slice of Lima antiquity.
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Caral: The oldest city in the Americas July 31, 2010
Posted by Tracy in : Peru, Uncategorized , 1 comment so far
I’d been reading about Caral, considered to be the oldest city in the Americas, in the fascinating book 1491, a new look at archaelogical discoveries in the New World by Charles Mann. So when Sarita suggested a day trip, I jumped at the chance.
Sara booked a tour, and after a few mishaps inevitable to group travel, we were on our way. The three-hour drive up the coast took us past dramatic wind-sculpted dunes, rickety hillside favelas and cement block towns. Most drifted off to sleep; the 5:30 a.m. wakeup call had come far too early (and, in the case of Jeff, it didn’t come at all, which is why we were half an hour late).
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Rain of ashes in Guatemala June 1, 2010
Posted by Tracy in : Guatemala, Uncategorized , add a commentPANAJACHEL, Guatemala – Atitlan, the sparkling lake of legends and lore, glistens a slatey grey today. Clouds drape the mountaintops on all sides; boats are making their way across, one by one, taking their places at the rickety wooden docks where they will soon be ferrying people to villages across the water.
“It’s a sad day in Guatemala,” remarks Juan, manager of Restaurante Lago Azul, where I’ve stopped in my morning walk to enjoy a cup of coffee and a hearty desayuno chapin, a traditional Guatemalan breakfast with eggs, black beans, fresh cheese and corn tortillas and crispy, sweet plantains, fried to perfection.
“Yes, it seems like the rain is going to be here for awhile,” I answered, thinking he was referring to the dreary weather.
But he wasn’t – instead, he was referring to the eruption of Pacaya Volcano yesterday just south of the capital city, which took the life of a journalist and apparently also two children.
The city is still in chaos after a rain of ash fell for miles around, with over a thousand people evacuated to shelters, traffic accidents resulting from streets and highways covered in up to three inches of ash, and air traffic diverted south to El Salvador.
Very strange. I could have very well been climbing that volcano myself this week. I was feeling very compelled to do so – and many tourists do. Instead, I got too busy with work and canceled the trip to catch up on writing assignments.
Lo que sucede, conviene, as a Cuban friend once said. I suppose this is one time where not getting my wish might have been the best thing.
Saying goodbye to an Ozark original April 14, 2010
Posted by Tracy in : Uncategorized , 13comments
Oh come, Angel Band
Come and around me stand
Oh bear me away on your snowy wings
To my immortal home,
Oh bear me away on your snowy wings
To my immortal home.
ROSELLE, Iron County, Missouri – Redbud blossoms splashed the spring-green hills the day my mother called me home from Guatemala. The freshness in the air and the gentleness of the colors were medicine to my eyes, and yet they pained me, knowing as I did how my grandfather loved this time of year.
Normally, I thought, he would be out on his Missouri Century Farm planting right now, or standing on the banks of an Ozark stream or pond, reeling in a bucket full of fish to share with family and friends.
He was struggling to manage basic functions when I finally reached his bedside – breathing and swallowing were a painful chore. His already birdlike frame seemed even tinier and frailer than when I had left him in December. He was asking to be released, to be allowed to go home to his Lord.
He groaned when he saw me. “Oh, I didn’t want to be such a bother,” he managed to get out.
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Jogging on the Hippodrome January 10, 2010
Posted by Tracy in : Latin America, Mexico, Mexico City, Uncategorized , add a commentThe sun peeked out from the clouds for awhile today, and as my afternoon appointment had been canceled, I took it as a cue. I shed the sweater and switched to jogging gear, grabbed my iPod and hit the street.
I’m not a natural-born runner; my body resists it in every way. But I took up the hobby last year, realizing that if I were going to stay fit on the road, I’d need to rely on means that don’t include going to a gym. Besides, running doubles as an aerobic form of sightseeing – albeit without the camera, the only thing I regretted about today’s run.
(From Friday’s walk: One of several fountains on Amsterdam Street)
I headed straight for Calle Amsterdam, a verdant loop through the heart of La Condesa with a tree-lined path in the center. Formerly called Calle Hipódromo, the loop is what remains of the old Condesa racetrack. Now laced with fountains and gardens and lined with colorful cafés and boutiques among the classic art-deco architecture, it bears no semblance to a racetrack – except for the presence of the other joggers.
The high point was Parque México, an enormous stretch of greenery filled with children learning to rollerblade, boys kicking a soccer ball, tiny dogs in colorful sweaters and their attentive owners, elders perusing newspapers, youngsters listening to MP3 players and families pedaling a four-seated bicycle contraption for rent in the plaza.
Smells of roasting corn, savory pork tacos and fresh flowers filled the rain-washed air. A gentleman sat in front of a booth surrounded by small tables and filled with wooden objects and painting supplies; for $3 you could buy a small animal or for $6 a little wooden jewelry box, and you could paint it however you liked.
Further along I found Mejor en Bici (Better on a Bike), a nonprofit group that provides free bicycles for “rent” in several parks around the city. All you have to do is leave your ID and a 200-peso note, and you can take the bike for a spin.
I don’t know whether it was because of the altitude (Mexico City is about a mile and a half higher than Houston!) or that I’m out of shape after three weeks of huddling in the cold, or simply because there was so much to see, but it was a run-walk type of run. At any rate, it felt great to unclench my huddled shoulders and feel the sun on my skin again.
The Yes Men Fix the World December 6, 2009
Posted by Tracy in : Uncategorized , 1 comment so far
If laughter is the best medicine, The Yes Men are the best physicians I’ve seen in a long while.
This pair of merry pranksters just released their new movie, The Yes Men Fix the World, and after seeing it last night at Houston’s Angelika Theater, I’m still laughing.
Here’s the trailer:
In the world of the Yes Men, not only does Dow Chemical accept responsibility for the Bhopal disaster, but Exxon pays billions to rebuild the wetlands it’s destroyed, the Department of Housing and Urban Development pays to rehab public housing instead of tearing it down, and the New York Times leads with an end to the Iraq War, nationalization of the oil companies with profits to fight climate change and George Bush indicted for high treason.
The pair create fake websites and field invitations to corporate events, where they pose as company representatives hawking everything from candles made of human flesh to the “SurviviBall,” an inflatable disaster suit designed to protect the rich from “anything nature can throw at you.” The performances are slapstick laughable, but their antics illustrate the dark side of corporate globalization. When the media condemns them for raising false hopes with their “cruel hoax,” they visit Bhopal and Katrina to consult with disaster victims and learn their stories.
Andy Bichlbaum and Mike Bonanno are two guys in cheap suits and geeky glasses whose outrageous sense of humor is only matched by their sense of outraged justice. Their escalating series of escapades lands them in hot water when journalists catch on to their act, but they are eloquent in flipping lies into truth.
Their aim is not just to entertain, but to catalyze. The last scene pans the crowds receiving the fake New York Times and focuses on the readers’ faces, wavering between incredulity and hope.
“If a few people at the top can make the bad news happen, why can’t all of us at the bottom make the good news happen for real?” Bonanno demands. But, he adds, “It would take more than two guys in cheap suits with fake websites. It would take millions…”
The camera pans back to the milling crowd… and as the credits roll, the Yes Men plan their next move.
Greening the barrios in Mexico City October 28, 2009
Posted by Tracy in : Esperanza Project, Latin America, Mexico, Sustainability, Uncategorized , add a commentSaving your garbage is a tough sell in a place where gardening is seen as peasant labor. But that doesn’t stop Dulce María Vega from rolling up her sleeves, going door-to-door and recruiting her neighbors for a grand mission. 
Dulce is the friendly face of sustainability in her neighborhood. With more than 30,000 residents, Lomas de Plateros is one of Mexico City’s largest apartment complexes. When she first teamed up with Noelle Romero of Organi-K, a local environmental group, to establish a pilot Ecobarrios project at the massive complex, people thought she’d lost her senses.
Symphony on a ski slope August 22, 2009
Posted by tracybarnett in : Food, Uncategorized, Utah , 2commentsPark City had taken a quick detour into winter when we arrived; temperatures hovered around 45 and threatened to plunge into the 30s that night. This wouldn’t be a problem if we’d planned to cozy up at the fireplace of the rustic chic Stein Erikson Lodge and enjoy the abundant amenities – but our hosts had quite a different plan for us.
Volunteer from Fort Worth, Texas
“You’re going to the symphony tonight? You will be miserable!” fretted a Park City Houstonite upon learning of my plans. That’s because the Utah Symphony plays at Deer Park Resort under the stars – a romantic setting unless your chattering teeth are drowning out the percussion section.
Surely our hosts had made other arrangements, I thought – disappointed because the star of tonight’s show was none other than Elvis Costello.
I needn’t have worried. The Park City Chamber, which hosted our visit, pulled out the stops to make it happen, and in high style. The sun soon came out and the cold spell lifted. And our hosts came armed with fleeces and blankets, a plastic tarp for the grass and comfy folding chairs. There were bottles of pinot noir and super-luxe picnic baskets with truffle oil salami and brie, smoked salmon and chocolate raspberry tarts and enough savory distractions to almost make one forget the symphony, much less the cold.
Watching the crowd gather under the suspended ski lifts was a sight to behold in itself. But once Costello walked onto the stage, this colorful spectacle and the gourmet feast quickly faded into the background. The lighting crew and the Utah Symphony wove a magical backdrop for a spectacular performance, with Costello covering an enormous range of styles, from jazz standards to punky alternative to wacky country tunes. My favorite was a yet-to-be released Costello composition telling the Christmas story from Joseph’s point of view.
More pinot, anyone?
Zen stories for travelers July 20, 2009
Posted by tracybarnett in : Uncategorized , add a commentI’ve recently been enjoying Brave New Traveler, an online travel community founded by Canadian traveler, writer and videographer Ian MacKenzie with the idea, as his web page states, of “exploring the inner journey through the outer world.”
Today I found a posting there that I had to share. It’s called The ten very best zen stories for travelers, and if you’re looking for inspiration, you’ll find it here.
Just in case you’re not yet convinced to check it out, here’s an excerpt:
1. A Cup Of Tea
Nan-in, a Japanese master during the Meiji era (1868-1912), received a university professor who came to inquire about Zen.
Nan-in served tea. He poured his visitor’s cup full, and then kept on pouring. The professor watched the overflow until he no longer could restrain himself. “It is overfull. No more will go in!”
“Like this cup,” Nan-in said, “you are full of your own opinions and speculations. How can I show you Zen unless you first empty your cup?”
The best travelers head out with no preconceptions about the cultures they will visit and the people they will meet. They remember to pack the most important thing: an open mind.
Thanks to @hanimeli for posting this link on Twitter!
An old friend with a new face April 16, 2009
Posted by tracybarnett in : Uncategorized , 11commentsDear friends,
It’s been three weeks since my transition to independent writer, and I am loving my newfound freedom.
Seeing the world through a different lens
Fortunately or unfortunately, with freedom comes responsibility, at least in this lifetime. So my computer is as constant my companion as ever, if not more so. My new travels have taken me down more paths on the information superhighway than on any actual highway – a temporary condition, I can assure you! – and I’m now learning all about social networking, web hosting, search engine optimization and so much more.
I’m now exploring the ins and outs of Wordpress, an excellent blog-posting site. You’ll see my blog evolve over the weeks and months ahead as I learn more and share it with you as I travel. Please let me know what you think, and share your ideas. I’d like to make this blog an interactive conversation with each of you and with the whole world, and I’ll need your help with that.
For starters, I’ve been kicking around a gazillion ideas for my new blog – ideas that would reflect my goals as a writer, the regions I specialize in and the themes that are near and dear to my heart. Some of my favorites were Gaia Traveler and Gaia Girl, to reflect my emphasis on nature and sustainability; Aventurera and Caminos Less Traveled, to reflect the bilingual and Latino-influenced nature of my travels; then there was Thirsty Boots, my Twitter name.
Ultimately, I decided to stick with the name I began with. While “Roads Less Traveled” may not be quite as clever, my favorite web guru, Dwight Silverman, assures me it’s the best.
“None of them have Google Juice,” he said of the fruits of all my brainstorming. “They’re not going to result in your blog
coming up in a random search.”
“So you think ‘Roads Less Traveled’ is best, even though it’s a cliche?” I asked.
“Frankly, yes,” he answered. “Cliches are what people Google for.”
So… here’s to an old friend with a new face. Roads Less Traveled will be coming your way once again. Please let me know what you think!
Your trusty traveling wordsmith,
Tracy L. Barnett
